When Gordon Shirron, owner of Frank Griffin Oil Company, opened Fat Daddy’s at its London location in 2007, it was the first step in a process that he hoped would eventually lead to an opening of the barbeque restaurant in Russellville as well.

That dream will become a reality this year, as Fat Daddy’s has announced plans to open a restaurant in downtown Russellville.

The new location was the culmination of more than three years of planning, which saw several obstacles along the way.

“Part of [the delay] was not finding a location we liked,” said Kyle Wills, operations manager at Frank Griffin Oil Company, the parent company of Fat Daddy’s. “And the economy played a huge part in it. We didn’t know what the economy was going to do, and now we still don’t know what it’s going to do. But it’s now or never.”

The restaurant’s location will be on North Denver Avenue near Opal Mae’s Cafe. Shirron estimated the restaurant will open in late summer or early fall, but that they will have a better idea of a timeframe once they close on the building.

“We would like to think that before Labor Day, we hope to be open,” Shirron said.

Wills said the new location will bring a variety of additions to their menu, and they have also taken the first steps in acquiring a liquor license.

“We intend to keep the barbeque, but we will do catfish and we will also offer steaks and probably salmon, as well as some other items,” Wills said. “We believe in the ‘keep it simple, stupid’ concept, but we know we’re going to have to expand the menu a little bit.

“We’re very excited. Like I said, this has been a long-time goal of ours, and we’re finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Obviously, we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t think it would be a good move for us, but I think it’s going to be a good move for the community as well.”

Fat Daddy’s is the most recent addition to a downtown district that has seen an influx of restaurants in recent years, most notably Brock’s Dog House and Opal Mae’s. Betsy McGuire, executive director of Main Street Russellville, a downtown revitalization project, hopes Fat Daddy’s will catalyze even more growth downtown.

“They are going to be a real catalyst, I think,” she said. “I think it will open people’s eyes and make them reconsider investing downtown.

“It’s no secret that part of creating a revitalized downtown is incorporating the dining aspect, so yes, that’s a part of what we need to do. To beef up what’s going on downtown, we need a mix of retail, office, city government, and dining and entertainment. There’s no one thing that will make it terrific, but it’s a mixture of all of those things that will get it to where it needs to be.”

The track to a downtown location began in 2005, when Fat Daddy’s was nothing more than a shack in the parking lot of a liquor store in Blackwell. At the time, Frank Griffin Oil didn’t have a stake of the company — it was owned and operated by a local man — but they were interested in getting into the barbeque business. When Wills happened upon the shack on its opening day and tried a free sample of the barbeque, he was excited.

“We would actually drive all the way to Blackwell when we wanted barbeque,” he said.

They knew the owner from a previous business deal, and when they had an opening at a building in London, they went to him and hashed out a deal that would bring Fat Daddy’s to its London location. After the owner suffered from health problems, Frank Griffin Oil bought him out and closed down the Blackwell location.

After having secured itself as one of the most endeared restaurants in the area, Fat Daddy’s will now just be a moment’s drive away from Russellville residents. And for Wills, having the added competition of local restaurants is good for both the residents and the eateries.

“I think with Fat Daddy’s moving in, kind of taking the first sweep, I think that may encourage some other folks to do the same,” he said. “And I hope it does, obviously, because the more that’s down there — even if they’re restaurants — the better it’s going to be, not only for the businesses but for the city of Russellville itself.”